FRA 
verted into a hafty and tumultuous flight; and the counts 
of Flanders and Bologne deplored in chains their rabinefs 
or their guilt. Yet the viftory of Bouvines ferved more 
eminently to difplay the policy of Philip. Fie was fenli- 
ble the late formidable confederacy was formed rather by 
jealoufy of his own power, than a regard for Johp; he 
was willing to difarm the fufpicions of his fubjedts; and 
weary of commanding an army where the troops of the 
crown bore but a fmall proportion to thofe of his vafTals, 
he confented, in 1215, to a truce for five years, and de¬ 
termined afliduou fly to employ that interval in a mailing 
treafures that might enable him to fupport a regular body 
of forces. 
On the defeat of the allies, king John repaired the feas 
to England; and the tranquillity which he might have 
derived from the late truce, was overwhelmed by a tor¬ 
rent of civil commotions at home. The Englifh barons, 
under the impulfe of refentment and defpair, invited over 
to their alfillance, by the offer of the crown of England, 
Louis, the eldeb fon of king Philip of France. That 
prince endeavoured to conceal his claim of conquelt un¬ 
der the fhadow of a title from his confort Blanch, grand¬ 
daughter of Henry II. and his preparations were power¬ 
fully but privately forwarded by his father, who Hill af¬ 
fected inviolably to maintain the truce he had lately con¬ 
cluded. While he furnilhed the young prince with a 
formidable armament, lie prohibited him from interfering 
in the dilfenfions of England; and Louis, landing at Sand¬ 
wich, was received with open arms by the difcontented 
nobility. His lliccefs was brilliant, though tranfient: 
Rocheber fubmitted, London hailed him as her deliverer 
and her foyereign, and for a moment his reign and autho¬ 
rity feemed likely to be eltablilhed: but this gleam of 
profperity was foon overclouded ; he was compelled fuc- 
cellively to relinquifli the fieges of Windfor and Dover 
cables with difgrace. The hidden death of John, in 1217, 
re-united the barons in their allegiance to his infant fon 
Henry; and Louis reluctantly evacuated a capital which he 
had only occupied as a dream. His forces were defeated 
in a battle near Lincoln ; and the prudent meafures which 
were purfued by the earl of Pembroke, regent of Eng¬ 
land, were attended by a peace, the articles of which bi- 
pulated the reboration to Henry of the Englilh cables bill 
occupied by Louis, and his influence to procure the re- 
bitution of Normandy from his father Philip ; or in cafe 
of his failing in that endeavour, his folemn promife to 
deliver it to the Englidi monarch whenever he fliould 
fucceed to the throne of France. 
Philip, at length, approached the end of his long and 
fplendid career. Amauri de Montfort,.inflamed with re¬ 
ligious zeal, and witli a view to engage prince Louis in 
another croifade, propofed to refignto thecrown of France 
his rights to the duchy of Narbonne, the county of Tou- 
loufe, and all thofe lands which pope Innocent III. had 
bebowed upon Simon de Montfort in the council of La- 
teran. This important offer was referred to an affembly 
, of the nobles and clergy at Paris; and as Philip, with the 
intention of being prefent himfelf, purfued his journey 
from his new acquisitions in Normandy to his capital, he 
was arrebed by death at the town of Mante, July 14, 
1222, in the forty-fourth year of his rejgn, and in the fif¬ 
ty-ninth of his age. 
As a general, his reputation at leab equalled that of 
his cotemporaries; and the ingenuity with which he in¬ 
vented a variety of warlike engines for the debrudtion of 
the human race, may be either applauded, or regretted. 
But the character of the hero was conbantly furpaffed by 
that of the fiatefman. Of all the kings of the third race, 
lie made the greateb acceffion to the crown lands, and 
tranfmitted to his fuccelfors the mob cqnfiderable fhare 
of regal authority. 
Louis VIII. was fcarcely feated on the throne of France, 
before Henry III. of England demanded, by a lolemn 
embady, the reboration of the dominions which his father 
had poffelfed in France, and which Louis had bound hitn- 
N C E. 671 
felf to furrendcr. But the hour of danger was pab ; and 
the French monarch was nor debitute of plaulible pre¬ 
tences to conceal his want of faith. In the language of 
recrimination, he urged that the Englifh barons had not 
been confirmed in thofe privileges which the treaty bipu- 
lated, and that a heavy ranfom had been unjubly ex¬ 
torted from the French prifoners. Senfible that the dif- 
pute nuib be decided by arms, lie extended his fipgo- 
ciations with foreign powers; and immediately invaded 
Poitou. Niort and Rochelle were fuccelftvely reduced ; 
and Bourdeaux, with the country beyond the river Ga¬ 
ronne, were all that remained of the French territories 
formerly pofleded by England. To preferve thefe, Henry 
conferred on his brother Richard earl of Cornwall, the 
title of count of Poitou, and furnifhed him with a formi¬ 
dable fquadron, and a ctonfiderable body of troops, to 
fupport his new dignity. The inhabitants of Poitou, 
flattered by the prefence of a prince of the blood-royal, 
crowded to his bandard : the fpirit of oppolition was re¬ 
vived ; the career of Louis was checked ; and that mo¬ 
narch, impatient to engage in a new enterprife, confented 
to a truce for three years. 
The thunders of the Vatican had for fotne time been 
launched againb the count of Touloufj and his adherents; 
and the king of France was prevailed upon by the Roman 
pontiff to fecond thefe fpiritual cenfures with a powerful 
army. From Lyons he directed his march along the banks 
of the Rhone, and invebed Avignon with fifty theufand 
men. The inhabitants defended themfelves with obfli- 
nate valour; and the king, after the lofs of the braveb of 
his troops, was forced to grant that favourable capitula¬ 
tion at lab, which lie had refufed at firb. With a har- 
raded and difpirited army, he turned from the hobile 
walls of Touloufe ; and in his retreat was feized at Mont- 
penfier with a mortal dibemper, which, in 1226, termi¬ 
nated a reign of only three, and a life of thirty-nine, years. 
Louis IX. furnamed the Saint , was fcarcely eight years 
old when his father-expired; and his tender age was en- 
trubed to the care of his mother Blanch, the daughter of 
Alonzo king of Cabile. That princefs alFumed the reins 
of government, and held them with more than female 
firnmefs. Inbead of vainly lamenting over the tomb of 
her confort, flie employed her anxious moments to fecure 
the regal authority of her fon. The youthful king was 
crowned at Rheims by the bilhop of Soidbns; and fenfi- 
ble of the intrigues of the nobles, who beheld with plea- 
fure the favourable opportunity of renewing their in¬ 
trigues, flie prepared to encounter their arts with equal 
forefight and ingenuity. The mob powerful of the confe¬ 
derates, whofe fecret counfels and open preparations biook 
the very foundations of the throne, were, Philip furnamed 
Hurfpel, the fon of Philip Augubus by Agnes the daughter 
of the duke of Dalmatia ; and who, from the affection of 
his father derived the title of count of Clermont, and from 
his marriage that of count of Bologne : Joanna countefs 
of Flanders, who, from the imprifonment of her hulband 
Ferdinand after the battle of Bouvines, governed that 
province with independent authority: Peter de Dreux, the 
grandfon of Robert, the fourth fon of Louis the Grofs, 
and who, as the hufband of Conbance, ruled with the title 
of count the fertile country of Brittany : Thibaud count 
of Champagne, who prefumed to profefs himfelf tlie per- 
fonal admirer of Blanch, and whofe vanity and jealoufy 
armed him againb her adminibration : Raymond count of 
Touloufe, whofe dominions had lately been devoted to 
religious perfecution, and who fought for peace amidb 
the calamities of war: and Berenger count of Provence, 
whofe revolt was adtuated by the beady friendfhip he had 
ever profeifed to the count of Touloufe. The private 
motives of the confederates were veiled by the pretence 
of public good ; and their demands were fanftioned by 
their apparent moderation. They required, before they 
yielded their homage to the king, that the queen biould 
fecure to them the inviolable maintenance of thofe laws 
to which, by birth, bie was a branger ; that fhe ihould 
2 rebore 
